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Music

The songs, albums, and concerts that became the soundtrack of our lives.

Alan Richards and the All-Night Van Ride to a Muddy August 1969 Field

In August 1969, Alan Richards drove all night from Pennsylvania in a beat-up van toward a rain-soaked field where strangers shared food and blankets and the crowd swayed like one living thing.

Rachel Grant and the Day the TV Wouldn’t Turn Off: Live Aid, July 13, 1985

On July 13, 1985, Rachel Grant left the TV on almost all day as Live Aid played, and as a teenager she felt—maybe for the first time—that music could unite the whole world for one cause.

Otis Redding and the Gold That Arrived After: “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” in 1968

In 1968, Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” earned a gold record after he was gone—an honor that shines with pride and a painful quiet at the same time.

George Simmons and the 1996 Discman That Promised “Anti‑Skip Protection”

In 1999, George Simmons trusted the words “anti-skip protection” on a 1996 Sony Discman—right up until it skipped with every confident step. And still, in the rare seconds it didn’t, the sound felt like the future.